Yahaya Ukwenya, President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has blamed the delay in the unveiling of the senior male national team coach on the COVID-19 lockdown.
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Ukwenya said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said that the federation had made progress in the engagement of the coach, blaming the COVID-19 lockdown for its ability to conclude the process.
NAN reports that the NCF had in February said it was in search of a new coach.
“In our opinion, we have lost matches that ordinarily we should have won and our cricket is growing well so we feel we need a more experienced hand for the team.
“What is remaining is the physical presence of the coach, signing of agreement, unveiling, and for work to begin.
“But with the lockdown restrictions in different parts of the world, this is not possible because the coach has to fly down to Nigeria.
“Hopefully, once some of these travel restrictions are lifted, we will be unveiling the new coach,” he said.
The NCF boss added that the job of the new coach would not be limited to the national team because it will be a multi tasked duty.
“The job of the coach is going to be multi tasking. He is supposed to help us look at the various segments of our game and the development of our coaches.
“He will also be tasked with the high performance management of our players, the transition of players from the grassroots to the national team and offer tips on grassroots development,” Ukwenya said.
Meanwhile, the federation has been engaging its stakeholders in various online programmes to keep abreast with the game.